Trump Orders An Immediate​ Cease-fire In Turkey

A week ago at this time US troops were stationed in Syria to keep tensions between them and Turkey at bay, a phone call changed all of that in a hurry. President Donald Trump and Recep Tayyip Erdogan the President of Turkey spoke briefly and shortly after Trump suddenly pulled dozens of troops out of north-east Syria.

Doing so allowed the Turkish military to make their move. So far nearly 160,000 civilians have been displaced this is according to OCHA the UN humanitarian agency. Inside Syria 50 civilians have been killed and another 18 near the boarder of southern Turkey. 56 Kurdish soldiers have lost their lives, 16 pro-Turkish Syrian fighters, and four Turkish soldiers have been killed in Syria.

Due to the Turkish military offensive in northern Syria, the US has sanctioned two Turkish ministries and three senior government officials.

President Trump got back on the phone with Mr. Erdogan and demanded an immediate truce, Mike Pence the Vice-Presiden told reporters. Mr. Pence also said he is going to travel to the region “as quickly as possible.”

Syria’s army marched towards areas in the north-east, which could lead to a confrontation with Turkish forces. The Syrian’s deployed their army following a deal with Kurdish forces, who as of last week were US allies.

Turkey’s main goal in this offensive is to push Kurdish forces away from the boarder so they can establish a safe zone, that would reach approximately 30km (20 Miles) into Syria. There are currently two million Syrian refugees in Turkish territory that the Turks want resettled.

Majority of them are not Kurds, critics are afraid an ethnic cleansing of the local Kurdish population could happen.

The US has placed sanctions on Turkey that could severely impact their economy. A statement published by the US Treasury said this:

“The Turkish government’s actions are endangering innocent civilians, and destabilizing the region, including undermining the campaign to defeat ISIS [Islamic State].”

Vice President Pence has warned the sanctions will continue and could worsen unless Turkey comes to an immediate ceasefire, stopping the violence. They must also agree to negotiate a long-term settlement regarding the boarder issue between Turkey and Syria.

Pence also said that: “The US did not give a green light too Turkey to invade Syria.”

Watch the videos below to get an in-depth look at the Turkish offensive in Syria.

(Image Courtesy Of Express UK, VOAN News, Videos Are Courtesy Of YouTube, CBS, And BBC)